Groups

The following is in part responding to C.S. Lewis' "The Inner Ring." If you are a random passerby, take a minute, and whether or not you read the short essay, feel free to comment, question, discuss, and/or debate.

We have all encountered different groups of people.  It is part of growing up.  As children, there is the difference between families; as high schoolers, there is the difference between band geeks, jocks, nerds, etc.; as adults, there is the difference between separate companies and social organizations.  In order to focus on the reading, the best thing to do will be to look at different types of groups.  The reason why I choose "group" as the word for defining each, is that I feel it is the most general term possible.  It is not meant to have any different connotations, and so its bland and vague denotation is what I will use in order to progress.

The first is a rejecting group.  It is an isolated "click."  This sort of group is a very bad sort which is not part of God's intention for community on earth.  In a rejecting group, there is the "in crowd" and the "outsiders."  This set up makes way for people who feel very comfortable while they are within the group, but then are less likely to branch out to others.  In addition, the outsiders feel a rejection (awkward, attacking, etc.) which leads the group to be a cut off from the rest of society.  This is a poor way to show community, yet it is disturbingly easy to sink into.

The second is an accepting, but hostile group.  Groups that are accepting allow people into them, but require, through social awkwardness or hostility that causes people to do wrong things they would not otherwise do.  A good example of this is a gang.  In a gang people are susceptible to peer pressure and generally do things that are illegal, or not worth doing.  In addition to this pressure, there is also situations in which leaving the group, especially in the case of a gang, can be a terrible process in which the leaver is the victim.

The third is an accepting group.  This group structure is exactly what God intended to have us all in from the beginning.  In this group type people can come and go freely, enjoying the company of others.  Accepting people for who they are and what they bring to the table.  It is extremely difficult to maintain a group such as this in a world filled with sin, but it is still the most proper style of group to be in.  In addition to being free, these groups have the lease possibility of hurt for the members within them that would otherwise be present in other group types.

I will end the different group types there, as I believe that those are the three groups most likely to be encountered throughout life.  As Christians, we should focus on the third style of group.  This can be hard to do, but it is well worth it when thinking of the benefits you are offering to others.